The Jagger Library (also known as the Jagger Reading Room, previously known as the J. W. Jagger Linear Library) was the main

reading room Reading room may refer to: * Reference library * British Museum Reading Room * Christian Science Reading Room image:5054_christian-science-reading-room-e.jpg, 400px, A typical storefront Christian Science Reading Room on the main street of a subu ...

of the

University of Cape Town Libraries University of Cape Town Libraries (UCT Libraries) is the library system of the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa. The library system holds roughly 1.2 million print volumes and over 100,500 print and online journal subscripti ...

. The building was constructed in the 1930s, named after

John William Jagger John William Jagger (20 September 1859, Yorkshire - 20 June 1930, Cape Town) was a South African businessman and cabinet minister. He emigrated to South Africa in 1880 and became a clerk in a business in Cape Town. In 1883 he established his own ...

, a major benefactor of the University of Cape Town Libraries. It served initially as the main library, then as a temporary lending center, and more recently, between 2000 and 2011, as the reading room for the African Studies Library. By 1980, the library was part of an eight-library complex at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

, and was the headquarters of the university's library service. It then contained 518,000 of the 741,000 volumes available in the library network, and could house 1280 readers in its reading rooms. In 2011, the university began a project aimed at restoring the Jagger Library to its original condition. The walkways and balconies installed in the 1960s and 1970s were removed, and it was subsequently painted, refurnished, and had its original elements restored, becoming once again the main library of the University of Cape Town. It was partially destroyed by the April 2021 Table Mountain fire. However, the library's fire detection systems stopped the destruction of the entire collection. The salvage operation ended on 18 May. The library will not be rebuilt—the collections will move to a new premises.

References

{{authority control Libraries in South Africa University of Cape Town Library fires